IOM has organized an event in Kabul to recognize contributions made to the development of Afghanistan by qualified Afghans who returned from Iran through IOM’s “Return of Qualified Afghans” (RQA) programme.
Since 2001, IOM has facilitated the return of diaspora Afghans in order to strengthen the capacity of government and non-government institutions, as well as the country’s private sector.
A key component of the programme has been the assisted return of qualified Afghans from neighbouring Iran, funded by the Government of Japan since 2008.
To date, 515 qualified Afghans living in Iran have returned under the programme to contribute their expertise in areas such as education, engineering and healthcare.
The event brought together RQA beneficiaries, host institutions and representatives from the government of Afghanistan to celebrate the achievements of the 2016-2017 phase of the programme.
“Leveraging the skills base of the global Afghan diaspora to contribute to the development of institutions is key to ensuring sustainable recovery and development in Afghanistan and of importance for the government’s repatriation concerns,” said IOM Afghanistan Chief of Mission and Special Envoy, Laurence Hart.
“Participants in the programme have held senior roles in the Ministries of Energy and Water and Urban Development, as well as agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency,” he added.
